Ahoy there me mateys! I say this every time I finish one of these novellas but I seriously could read dozens of books set in the various worlds. ThisAhoy there me mateys! I say this every time I finish one of these novellas but I seriously could read dozens of books set in the various worlds. This is the 10th book in the series and is the backstory of Nadya from book 3. This can be read as a standalone though I suggest reading the series in order to get the full impact.
Nadya is born in Russia to a mother who doesn't want her and is raised in an orphanage. She is missing an arm due to a birth defect but doesn't feel a loss for something she never had. She is adopted by an American couple who want her to fit in and be a testament to their good parenting skills. Nadya is not happy with being forced to wear a prosthetic. Then a day comes where she falls into the pond and goes through a Door to Belyrreka.
This story is bittersweet. Reading about her life in America was painful and made my heart ache.. However, I loved watching Nadya thrive in Belyrreka. The world itself is a fascinating land of water. There are giant talking turtles, massive frogs that eat anything that can fit into their mouths, and giant fishing vessels that sail on and under the water. I did want more about life on top of the rivers and in the sky but it was mostly a story about Nadya living her best life in Belyrreka. I was immersed (Arrr!) in watching her grow up in a place perfectly suited to her. Even though the ending was anticipated, it still stung and made me immensely unhappy for Nadya.
I think this is one of the stronger entries in the series and recommend it wholeheartedly. Arrrr!
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review....more
Ahoy there mateys! Stephanie Burgis is an author whose work I really admire – for both adults and children. Unfortunately, the first book of this duolAhoy there mateys! Stephanie Burgis is an author whose work I really admire – for both adults and children. Unfortunately, the first book of this duology just wasn’t a favorite and I found it rather dull. The story is about a hidden set of magical triplets who discover that one of them is the heir to the throne. The kids set across the kingdom to find a magic crown. I think all three children were rather boring characters and basically were defined by the type of magic they could do like shapeshifting, and singing. The triplets’ older brother had the most interesting background of the three but it wasn’t fleshed out. The magic itself was rather tame and too easy for the kids to master. The world building was light and the pace was uneven with a rushed ending. I do think young middle grade readers could like this one. But I will not be reading the sequel. Arrr!...more
**spoiler alert** Ahoy there mateys! Though the First Mate and I have very different reading tastes, occasionally we do recommend books to each other**spoiler alert** Ahoy there mateys! Though the First Mate and I have very different reading tastes, occasionally we do recommend books to each other. He and I both read the following:
darkly (Marisha Pessl)
We listened to (independently) and talked about the audiobook and I enjoyed his viewpoint so I ordered asked him to write a review. So you get one from me and a bonus additional review from me crew. Please note that I write like I talk and the First Mate writes like he thinks. Hope you enjoy!
Side Note: The First Mate preordered the audiobook but I also received an eArc from the publisher, Delacorte Press, in exchange for an honest review. I thank them for the e-book even though I listened to it :)
From the Captain:
I really loved the last book I read by the author and had high hopes for this one. I read it over two days. On the first day, I was convinced that it was a five star read. However, when I was finished I was very dissatisfied. Basically there were issues with the characters, settings, and ending.
I have to admit that the Darkly company games and its founder, Louisiana Vera were fascinating. I loved how the board games were discussed and elements of them were revealed as the book progressed. I loved slowly learning about Louisiana and her upbringing. It felt like both the board games and the artist behind them could be real. These elements were the highlight of the story and had me spellbound.
The problematic elements had overtaken the excitement by the end. I didn't mind the main character, Dia. However there was a lust-triangle that I seriously found distracting. Also there were seven teens (4 boys, 3 girls) involved in the contest. I honestly forget about one of the boys by the end and don't even remember his name. The two other girls continued to be confused by me. I am not sure if that was due to the narrator's accents for them or how they were written. I feel like there should have been four teens total so that they could have been fleshed out better.
The setting also bothered me. The teens get taken to an island where the factory is but for seemingly no real reason given that the majority of the action took place on the mainland. Also some of the plot took place in the Valkyrie game. Both the game and the "internship" really seemed to be nonsensical most of the time. The more I thought about the realities of the setting and the situation, I more I was bothered. Especially once the "twist" about Louisiana's family is shared.
But it was the ending that drove me bonkers. Dia goes home and extremely conveniently finds a secret about her own family. This twist annoyed me but it is what Dia decides to in the last pages that made NO sense given her personal growth during the course of the novel. I understand that the author was going for symmetry. I just hated it.
I know that my opinion seems so negative but I promise that I had so much enjoyment listening to the novel. I don't regret the read and will be reading whatever the author writes next. I just wish that the book held up upon reflection and that it lived up to the prior novel I read by her. Arrrr!
From the First Mate:
Marisha Pessl’s greatest strength as a writer is her incredible skill as a stylist. She’s capable of weaving intricately beautiful prose that hints and promises untold depths lurking beneath the mere surface of the plot. The line-by-line quality of her writing enamored me when I first encountered it, and it is that same quality that makes her work an “instant buy” whenever she has a new work coming out (regardless of how far into the future that may be). So, of course, Darkly was a pre-order from the moment I saw it available.
Unfortunately, Darkly is thus far my least favorite of Pessl’s books. That’s not to say it’s bad. Like all of her other books, I very much enjoyed the experience of reading it. Her prose is still as electric, intricate, and beautiful as ever. The work had me enthralled for the better part of an afternoon. And yet, I’m more likely to reread any of her other three books before rereading this one.
Part of the reason I didn’t enjoy Darkly as much as its predecessors is the central creative MacGuffin. Board games simply have never really appealed to me. And while Pessl does a fantastic job of creating mystery and intrigue around the Darkly games, they came across to me like mere shadows of Cardova’s Night Films from Night Film. Is that simply because I enjoy film in a way that I’ve never enjoyed board games? Perhaps. But it was in thinking about the similarities between the Darklies and the Night Films that made it clear to me how much of Darkly is a remix of Pessl’s previous books.
Dia is a less adult Blue. Louisiana, a melding of Hannah Schneider and Stanislas Cordova. The Darkly factory a more sprawling version of the Peak. The interns seem a curious mashup of the friend groups from both Special Topics and Neverworld Wake, especially in how all three groups acted towards our main characters. And, of course, the elements of suicide, mazes and puzzles, broken families, coincidence, and the impermanence of found families, which appear in all four books.
There’s nothing wrong with a writer reusing themes, elements, or ideas from work to work. Sometimes that very repetition elevates the overall corpus. Every Faulkner novel is, to some degree, examining the same tensions, for example. For me, the problem in Darkly was that it kept reminding me of her other books, which I enjoyed more.
The other major issue with Darkly was that it felt incomplete. I don’t know if that was because it was firmly placed in the YA category or if there was some other reason, but it felt like there were sections that set up storylines and characters that never amounted to anything. For instance, we get seven interns, but three say and do so little that they might as well not have been there. The factory is set up as a fascinating location, and then so little is done there. The ending feels rushed, with more than one dangling thread being explained away, such as “the lawyers said you can’t see that” when Dia asks about several things. Neverworld Wake proved that Pessl could tie up her complex stories in a short, satisfying package (compared to Special Topics and Night Film, which were over five hundred pages). So, it wasn’t necessarily length that made this one feel incomplete.
Darkly is proving to be one of those frustrating works that I enjoyed while reading, yet I enjoy it less the more I think about it. I can still think about the beautiful writing and some of the individual parts, and I can recall the joy of reading it. But then I think of the whole, and I can’t say it worked for me. It hasn’t done anything to change Pessl’s “instant buy” status for me, but it will probably be quite some time before I reread it....more
Ahoy there mateys! Death on the high seas! Amnesia! Super Yacht! That would be enough to get me to pick up the story. But then add in that the stoAhoy there mateys! Death on the high seas! Amnesia! Super Yacht! That would be enough to get me to pick up the story. But then add in that the story is told in reverse chronological order using multiple perspectives. Seems like it could confuse but instead it was a quick read. I think young teens would really enjoy it. Adult me had fun even though the story was extremely over the top. Basically a mega-heiress named Giselle is pushed overboard. Her friend Maggie gets the blame. But as the story moves backwards, the intricacies and secrets of the four teens are revealed. Maggie initially had more of my sympathy but turns out that all of the teens are not the greatest of people. The book reminded me a lot of Sweet Valley High novels of my youth with more murder. Lots of bullying, backstabbing, and focus on popularity. Mean girls. The solution to the murder was ridiculous and silly. Younger me would have enjoyed the drama a lot. If it sounds interesting, give it a shot. Arrrrr!
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
WellAhoy there me mateys! I received this young adult fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
Well, yet again, an interesting cover led me to take a look at this book. Gender-fluid protagonist who is bonded with a giant golden tiger? Yes, please. This book certainly was a quick read at 180 pages. I read it in one evening. It was an enjoyable read for me but not a fantastic one.
The pros:
- Gender-fluid protagonist. Hooray for diversity! Also Tashi is accepted by society and their friends. If only our world could be this way for everyone. - The protagonist is conflicted. Tashi does cry and get confused and make uninformed decisions. I like that the main character has emotions. - Tashi didn’t just magically become a kick-ass warrior in a second because suddenly there is war. - Tashi’s spy training is laughable in a good way because their society has been at peace for so long that Tashi thought those studies weren’t extremely important. - I loved the best friend Pharo. He is stubborn and rash and lovable and caring. - Bonds with animals. Awesome of course. I loved all the unique animals that humans could bond with. I also enjoyed the consequences for possessing the animal bond. Not all fun and games but no spoilers here!
The cons:
- The protagonist is whiny. I don’t mind that Tashi cries sometimes or is scared. I did mind that they kept wanting someone else to save them. And yet they would rush into danger at the drop of a hat at other moments. - An eventual love-triangle thing. It wasn’t instantaneous and there is a love-side and a lust-side. But why! So unnecessary. - The politics and world-building are not really handled well. Cool concepts but not enough explanation. Plus Tashi becomes both a spy and a trusted companion in a really pathetic way. - The plot is confusing. What plot there is seems to be driven by the love-triangle. Tashi’s lust gets in the way of rational thought. And plot points occur because they are not thinking. For example, the perspective on the lust-interest is a ‘He tortures people! He is so dreamy!’ kinda thing. Ugh. - The ending! It was very abrupt and the protagonist makes a really dumb choice. Going from one extreme to another with no real thought. It is kinda explained but is a rather flimsy excuse for me taste.
I would have liked Tashi to use intelligence and wits to overcome their fear and uncertainty. I would have loved Tashi to have become an awesome spy. I would have loved for Tashi to make choices based on others instead of their own simple yet conflicted feelings and desires. That said I did enjoy many parts of this book. I just wanted more. The next novel apparently is from the different perspective of Pharo. It may be interesting to see the world from another perspective We shall see . . .
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
Well, yet again, an interesting cover led me to take a look at this book. Gender-fluid protagonist who is bonded with a giant golden tiger? Yes, please. This book certainly was a quick read at 180 pages. I read it in one evening. It was an enjoyable read for me but not a fantastic one.
The pros:
- Gender-fluid protagonist. Hooray for diversity! Also Tashi is accepted by society and their friends. If only our world could be this way for everyone. - The protagonist is conflicted. Tashi does cry and get confused and make uninformed decisions. I like that the main character has emotions. - Tashi didn’t just magically become a kick-ass warrior in a second because suddenly there is war. - Tashi’s spy training is laughable in a good way because their society has been at peace for so long that Tashi thought those studies weren’t extremely important. - I loved the best friend Pharo. He is stubborn and rash and lovable and caring. - Bonds with animals. Awesome of course. I loved all the unique animals that humans could bond with. I also enjoyed the consequences for possessing the animal bond. Not all fun and games but no spoilers here!
The cons:
- The protagonist is whiny. I don’t mind that Tashi cries sometimes or is scared. I did mind that they kept wanting someone else to save them. And yet they would rush into danger at the drop of a hat at other moments. - An eventual love-triangle thing. It wasn’t instantaneous and there is a love-side and a lust-side. But why! So unnecessary. - The politics and world-building are not really handled well. Cool concepts but not enough explanation. Plus Tashi becomes both a spy and a trusted companion in a really pathetic way. - The plot is confusing. What plot there is seems to be driven by the love-triangle. Tashi’s lust gets in the way of rational thought. And plot points occur because they are not thinking. For example, the perspective on the lust-interest is a ‘He tortures people! He is so dreamy!’ kinda thing. Ugh. - The ending! It was very abrupt and the protagonist makes a really dumb choice. Going from one extreme to another with no real thought. It is kinda explained but is a rather flimsy excuse for me taste.
I would have liked Tashi to use intelligence and wits to overcome their fear and uncertainty. I would have loved Tashi to have become an awesome spy. I would have loved for Tashi to make choices based on others instead of their own simple yet conflicted feelings and desires. That said I did enjoy many parts of this book. I just wanted more. The next novel apparently is from the different perspective of Pharo. It may be interesting to see the world from another perspective We shall see . . .
Ahoy there me mateys! The story follows Avery, who is returning to her hometown during summer break to see her best friends. She can't wait to returnAhoy there me mateys! The story follows Avery, who is returning to her hometown during summer break to see her best friends. She can't wait to return to the old haunts and try to forget the move ever happened. Unfortunately, the school year apart seems to have changed things. Avery is confused and overwhelmed. To try and break the tension, Avery suggests a séance at the local abandoned theater. Secretly she hopes they will say no. But, the others agree and the quartet enters the theater only to find an actual ghost! They are trapped by the spirit. How will they survive and escape?
Wendy Parris' theatre background shows in this fun middle grade spooky story. Having been in the biz, I was delighted to see how the author used other areas besides the stage itself in the action. It shows younger readers the dressing rooms, ticket offices, catwalks, and other places rarely seen by the audience. How the ghost light worked for the plot is also fantastic and clever. I won't reveal it here.
I would have loved this as a child for the spooky feel and setting. I also would have loved the four friends trying to figure out how to escape the scary ghost. The characters are wonderful and easy to root for. As an adult, I love the lessons suggested throughout the novel. There are discussions of evolving friendships, gender differences, irrational fears, honesty, and untended consequences. I also enjoyed the parents' roles and how sibling relationships were portrayed. Avery was fantastic and used deductive reasoning against the ghost.
The ending in particular was perfect. The parents are grateful their kids are okay but still there are repercussions for breaking rules. How the children resolve their changing friendships, outlook for the future, and their feelings about the ghost are also realistic and lovely. Recommended for spooky story and theatre lovers alike. Arrrr!
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review....more
Ahoy there me mateys! I love this author's work and picked up this book from the backlist. As usual, the author's world building is excellent and I Ahoy there me mateys! I love this author's work and picked up this book from the backlist. As usual, the author's world building is excellent and I love how she twists myths and superstitions. I really enjoyed this one despite the dark tones about grieving and family relationships.
This takes place in 1920s England. Triss wakes up from almost drowning and has lost her memory. She is overwhelmingly hungry, her sister is scared of her, and her dolls seem to be coming to life. The set up for this book was fantastic and creepy. I could guess what was wrong with Triss based on the title but watching her figure things out what heart breaking. Once Triss understands more about her situation the book shifts a bit. There is a secret world called the Underbelly. Triss and Pen, the sister, travel there to get answers.
Triss and Pen are excellent characters. Watching their relationship evolve is one of the highlights. But overall, this is the kind of book where it is best to go in without a lot of preconceptions. Arrr!...more
Ahoy there me mateys! This book is the author’s debut and the first book in a new series. The setting is Blight Harbor, the 7th-most haunted town in AAhoy there me mateys! This book is the author’s debut and the first book in a new series. The setting is Blight Harbor, the 7th-most haunted town in America. Evie Von Rathe lives with her Aunt Desdemona, the local paranormal expert. One rule of the town is to avoid the local abandoned slaughterhouse where serial killer John Jeffrey Pope worked. When Aunt Des goes missing inside the slaughterhouse while on a job, Evie must break the rule to save her.
But the building contains the Clackity, a creepy creature who wants a deal. To save her aunt, Evie must bring it the ghost of John Jeffrey Pope who has been dead for one hundred years. As the Clackity says, “Bad, bad, bad men make bad, bad ghosties.” Evie has to search seven scary houses to find seven keys and fight scary things along the way.
This was atmospheric and I loved it. Evie was easy to root for. Blight Harbor is a great, haunted setting. I loved Evie’s relationship with her aunt and the strength of family in the book. Written for younger readers but this older one loved it too. I want the next book in the series. Arrrr!...more
Ahoy there me mateys! Sea-dragons! Ye know ye have to read this book. Makiia Lucier is an author that I wish more readers knew about. If ye haven'tAhoy there me mateys! Sea-dragons! Ye know ye have to read this book. Makiia Lucier is an author that I wish more readers knew about. If ye haven't read her books before, this is an excellent place to start. This young adult fantasy is inspired by Pacific Island mythology and it is lovely.
Hanalei is in exile from her home island of Tamarind. Her father stole the dragonfruit (egg) of a sea-dragon to cure her from poison. Only that egg was meant to heal the princess. In the years since, Hanalei earns her living as a researcher of the sea-dragons. Everyone else sees the dragons as a commodity because their parts are used for all sorts of products. A dragon hunter captures Hanalei to track down a pregnant sea-dragon. Through this adventure, Hanalei finds her new purpose.
I loved so much about this book. The world building deals with an archipelago. I love that we get to spend time on both the sea and learning about island life. The sea-dragons are ferocious beasts and I loved learning about their lives and habits. Many islanders from Tamarind have magical tattoos that can emerge from the body and are companions. Tamarind is matriarchal and the glimpses we receive about the culture and economy are fascinating. There is romance but it is light and how it is resolved at the end was extremely gratifying. I also loved that Hanalei is not blamed for the choices her father makes. I loved the friendship Hanalei made with the other women on the island.
There are some brutal scenes involving the sea-dragons and in their being hunted. There are some deaths that made me ache. The consequences of the use of dragonfruit are haunting. However, for me, the feeling was realism in a fantasy world. And overall, the ending is positive. I highly, highly recommend this one to the crew. Arrrr!...more
Ahoy there mateys! I wish I could do this book justice but I cannot. I read it much earlier this year, have been thinking about it frequently, and haAhoy there mateys! I wish I could do this book justice but I cannot. I read it much earlier this year, have been thinking about it frequently, and have tried to write a good review for it multiple times. I do not have good words. The author uses Lipan Apache storytelling structure. One of the main characters is Oli, a cottonmouth snake. Another is Nina, a girl on Earth. I preferred the spirit world to the Earth narrative but I do think the two intertwined together is what makes this so lovely. I also ADORED the toad. I will certainly have to read the other book by the author. Arrrr!...more
Ahoy there mateys! I really enjoyed the novel
flowerheart
earlier this year so when I saw another book by the author, I gave it a shot. The main Ahoy there mateys! I really enjoyed the novel
flowerheart
earlier this year so when I saw another book by the author, I gave it a shot. The main character, twelve-year old Elissa, is a devotee of the Mother Goddess. She can perform literal miracles with her voice. Elissa, is naïve though and so she ends up in trouble when her mentor gives her practical advice that seems to contradict her religious teachings. One of me favorite things about this book was how music worked. A magical song can only work for a certain amount of times before the spell wears down and a new composition must be made. I had two basic problems with this novel. The first is that the Church wouldn't teach practical lessons when they know the singers are going to send out in the real world. The second was how easily the solution arises at the end of the novel and how rushed the ending felt. That said, I really enjoyed the musical aspects of the world building and am glad I read it. Arrr!...more
Ahoy there mateys! This was the last book of the Red Abbey Chronicles. This follows Maresi (the main character from the first book) as she returns toAhoy there mateys! This was the last book of the Red Abbey Chronicles. This follows Maresi (the main character from the first book) as she returns to her home village to open her school and improve the lives of its residents. The problem is that life is too hard in Rovas and change harder still. Maresi becomes extremely discouraged even as she begins to fall in love. Her education makes her feel like an outsider. I felt like this village and its belief systems and way of life could have been real. I also thought how the family handles Maresi's return was also very real and emotionally engrossing. This book was written in the form of letters sent back to the Abbey. I loved it and thought it was a great ending to this lesser known series. Arrr!...more
Ahoy there mateys! I believe this was me fifth YA fantasy by this author. I love her ideas and writing style even if I don't always enjoy the full plAhoy there mateys! I believe this was me fifth YA fantasy by this author. I love her ideas and writing style even if I don't always enjoy the full plots. In this one, curses are real and twisted. How the curses work and the society built around them were the best part. I have such a fondness for this novel's world building. The story follows friends, Kellen and Nettle. Nettle and her siblings were cursed into being birds by an evil step-mother. Kellen has a unique ability to unravel curses but usually he has unintended consequences. After Kellen helped Nettle, she follows him around while he attempts to help others. Kellen is a little hard to like at times. I loved Nettle. There is also an awesome and scary Marsh horse with an equally unsettling rider. I enjoyed many of the side characters. The biggest problem I had was with some of the side plots and the ending in general. I just didn't want the cursers to end up the way they did. Glad I read it though and will be reading more of the author's work in the future. Arrrr!...more
Ahoy there mateys! This is a standalone over-the-top YA popcorn sci-fi thriller. The novel follows Blythe who is upset when her best friend, GabrielleAhoy there mateys! This is a standalone over-the-top YA popcorn sci-fi thriller. The novel follows Blythe who is upset when her best friend, Gabrielle, has a mental breakdown and seemingly attacks the principal. Blythe doesn’t understand why Blythe would do something like that but, then again, their friendship has been rocky recently. Blythe decides to solve the mystery of what would cause Gabby to act out of character. Then Blythe begins suffering her own memory losses and confusion. As things progress, her other friends, Tucker and Tanya, get pulled into the plot. Wait they have memory loss and visions too!?! What a mess both story and writing-wise. The plot is confusing and the twists make no real sense. The sci-fi elements, when explained, have lots of incongruities. There is gaslighting and blood and teens sneaking around with no actual supervision. The title did not pan out. Nor did the ending. It was a fast read but just barely okay. This is not one of the author’s best. Arrr!...more
Ahoy there me mateys! Set in an alternate modern day Texas with dragons, this book is sure to please its target audience. Cassidy Drake lives on at Ahoy there me mateys! Set in an alternate modern day Texas with dragons, this book is sure to please its target audience. Cassidy Drake lives on at a dragon sanctuary ranch and helps her family maintain their rescue dragons. Dragons are in her blood. But unfortunately the ranch is barely surviving and may not have the funds to pay the taxes. Cassidy wants to ride in the Great Texas Dragon Race and follow in the steps of her champion mother. She wants to win and also wants the prize money to keep the ranch. Her father worries for her safety and doesn't want her to participate.
Of course Cassidy gets into the race but I have to admit that I was surprised at how the race unfolded. Cassidy has to learn to deal with other competent dragon riders, make hard choices, and confront her own shortcomings. I found her to be a wonderful protagonist to cheer for. This was fast paced and fun. I enjoyed the different types of dragons.
I wouldn't mind having an adult novel to talk about the intricacies of how the world of dragons works. Arrr!...more
Ahoy there me mateys! This is the start to a new series and I think it is lovely even if it has dark themes. The world building is wonderful. AbeniAhoy there me mateys! This is the start to a new series and I think it is lovely even if it has dark themes. The world building is wonderful. Abeni is a fantastic main character. She loses her family when her village is destroyed and all the people kidnapped. Abeni is determined to find them. The interesting part for me is that there is no simple magical fix even if magic is real. Abeni is continually learning and growing and works hard. She has to rely on the help of her friends. She finds new family while never forgetting about her old one. She has prejudices about others that she has to overcome. She has to learn that adults don't always have the answers. Abeni is certainly someone to root for. I also loved Asha and the other secondary characters. I think this is a great book for younger readers and older ones alike. Highly recommended and look forward to reading more of Abeni's journey. Arrr!
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for me honest review....more
Ahoy there mateys! Well I though this was a duology so color me surprised when I found out about this third book. I loved jumping back into the storyAhoy there mateys! Well I though this was a duology so color me surprised when I found out about this third book. I loved jumping back into the story of Sunny Nwazue and the other Leopard People. The best part of this book continues to be the friendships between the characters. I also love the world building. I don't have a lot to say about the specific plot other than I enjoyed it. Oh but the parts mentioning the Nigerian Civil War were interesting (if sad) and led me to read more about it. It seems like the series is finished given the ending but if I am surprised by more, I will read those too. Though I was a wee bit confused by the ending. Minor problem that is likely just me being dense. Arrr!...more
Ahoy there mateys! This is the first book in a series about a wild-witch named Clara. The awesome cover and the Danish author. I thought this had a Ahoy there mateys! This is the first book in a series about a wild-witch named Clara. The awesome cover and the Danish author. I thought this had a solid start. Clara is a bit stubborn but overall I like her. I enjoyed the fact that even though her magic is strong, she cannot control it or even use it very much. I like her aunt and the menagerie of animals. I love the relationship Clara has with her mom and also with her best friend. The writing style and plot feel a bit old-fashioned but was enjoyable. I didn't love the trials in the book. It doesn't have me rushing out to read the rest of the series but curiosity will likely lead me to read more at some point. Arrr!...more
Ahoy there mateys! This was the last book in the quartet. I enjoyed parts of this book but feel that it did not live up to the previous three. I likAhoy there mateys! This was the last book in the quartet. I enjoyed parts of this book but feel that it did not live up to the previous three. I liked the creepy circus setting. I liked the creepy dolls. I loved that the kids talked to their parents and asked for help (even if it doesn't quite work out). There were several problems. The ending and solution to the puzzle felt rushed and didn't make a lot of sense. I wanted this to be Phil's book after what happened in book three. I mostly just felt like the copy I was reading had accidently left out 4 or 5 chapters. It was an odd feeling. Clowns are always creepy though. Arrrr!...more
Ahoy there me mateys! This series deals with dragons and chocolate so of course I had to read it. I binged this series and loved it. Who doesn't loAhoy there me mateys! This series deals with dragons and chocolate so of course I had to read it. I binged this series and loved it. Who doesn't love the themes of embracing who ye are and finding yer own inner strengths. Here be me thoughts.
the dragon with the chocolate heart
This book made me salty heart sing with its awesomeness. This is the story of young dragon Aventurine who is determined to prove how fierce she is by sneaking out of the family cave. Only the first human she tries to catch turns her into a human girl! Using enchanted hot chocolate! Aventurine's inadvertently discovers that chocolate is her passion but then has to figure out how to survive the new world she finds herself in.
I adored Aventurine. I adored her dragon family. I adored her found family. I loved watching her navigate the human world and her very dragony thoughts about it. I loved the ending. Basically this was a perfect read for me. One of the best parts about it is a scene where an adult takes responsibility for problems that occur and apologizes. Children take responsibility for things outside of their control sometimes and this book deals with that in a lovely way. I just loved this moment of reality in a book where children still save the day. And I wanted to eat all the chocolate.
the girl with the dragon heart
The second book follows Silke who is Adventurine's best human friend. Silke is a natural born storyteller who likes to adopt other roles. She is brought in as a spy to the royal family when fairies come along. But she has a mission of her own when it comes to dealing with the fairies.
This was very enjoyable but me least favorite of the bunch. I just wasn't as thrilled with the fae aspects and Silke's bumbling around. Silke was just a little too focused on her own quest to the detriment of others. In the first book she seemed so capable and this book seemed to go against the character traits of the first book. Of course it all works out. I loved Adventurine in this book too.
the princess who flew with dragons
This was me second favorite of the series. Princess Sofia is coerced into a diplomatic mission in a neighboring kingdom. She doesn't want to go. Sofia has always had problems fulfilling her royal duties and relating to others and the events of book two have made her terrified to face the larger world. And of course, her mission goes wrong right from the start.
And how it goes wrong is so delightful that I was laughing out loud. The first carriage ride is stunningly horrible and funny. Of course with her mission in tatters, Sofia decides to use the time to do what she wants to do. And what she wants to do it be a student at university. It is there that Sofia is exposed to bigger ideas about the world and the people in it. And how her life of privilege has kept her blind despite all the books she has studied. Then ice giants attack and Sofia has to save the day. This book had lovely messages about friendship, forgiveness, and working together. I loved it.
the short stories
I was delighted to find that the author has three short stories set in the world available on her website. Of course I had to read these too. One is
a prequel about Citrine
, Aventurine’s disapproving older sister! Citrine gets revenge for her younger siblings trick. Short and fun. Another is a story about
Marina and Horst
, the chocolatiers, and how they met and started their future together. It was sweet. And then Silke's brother, Dieter, got his own mission. It was lovely to see what happened to Dieter after his world was turned upside down by the events of book two.
I loved this series and need to read more of Stephanie Burgis' work. Arrr!...more
The Captain
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Books:
young-adult
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